NEW YORK — The former controller for imprisoned financier Bernard Madoff blamed him Monday for directing her to deceive investors, regulators and the Internal Revenue Service as she pleaded guilty to conspiracy and other charges.

“I did not know that Madoff and others were stealing investors’ money,” Enrica Cotellessa-Pitz said as she entered the plea in U.S. District Court, becoming the sixth person to plead guilty and admit a role in a fraud that Madoff claimed he carried out alone. “For that, I am terribly sorry.”

A customer dining at Washington’s Oceanaire restaurant noticed an unusual line at the bottom of his receipt: “Due to the rising costs of doing business in this location, including costs associated with higher minimum wage rates, a 3% surcharge has been added to your total bill.”